Seasonal Ontario Food

Very good! A little different from the usual "curry", having a simple but sprightly assemblage of spices made zingy with the addition of plenty of fresh ginger and lemon juice. It's cooked more like a stir fry than a stew, and should come out drier and crispier than I managed. I did not use a large enough pan, that was my trouble. It was delicious anyway.

I don't know where all that garlic went. I mean, it had garlic, but I wouldn't have guessed a whole head. The chile flakes, as ever, are to be applied according to your taste and theirs. Also, while you could serve this without the cilantro, I thought it brought a really important profile to the balance of flavours, so use it if you can.

4 servings
time to marinate: 15 minutes prep time plus 2 to 18 hours
time to cook: 20 minutes prep time


Make the Marinade:
1-2 teaspoons hot chile flakes
1 tablespoon coriander seed
1 teaspoon cumin seed
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 tablespoons red lentil OR chick pea flour
1 head (5 to 8 cloves) garlic
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
the juice of 1 lemon

Grind the chile flakes, coriander, cumin, and fennel with the salt. Put them in a container which will hold the chicken. Add the paprika, turmeric, and lentil or chick pea flour. Mix well.

Peel and finely mince or grate the garlic. Peel and grate the ginger. Add them to the spices, along with the lemon juice, and mix well. 

Marinate & Cook the Chicken:
500 grams (1 pound) boneless chicken pieces
 OR 750 grams (1 1/2 pounds) bone-in chicken pieces
1 medium onion
3 to 4 tablespoons mild vegetable oil
a few sprigs of cilantro to garnish, if possible

Have the chicken cut into pieces; bigger than bite-sized but small enough to cook fairly quickly. Three or four bites to the piece, maybe. Mix them into the marinade until thoroughly coated, then cover and refrigerate for 2 hours to overnight.

When ready to proceed, bring the chicken out of the fridge to lose its chill while you peel the onion and cut it into slivers.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until wilted and slightly browned. Remove them from the oil to a plate. Add the chicken pieces individually, but with their marinade, and cook, turning them as needed until they are cooked through. Scrape up the marinade regularly; I found it inclined to stick. To the pan, not to the chicken. Once the chicken is about half-cooked, add the onions back in.

While the chicken cooks, wash, dry, and chop a few sprigs of cilantro to sprinkle over the chicken once it is cooked and dished, with as much of the marinade as can be removed from the pan.




Last year at this time I made Ye'atakilt Wot (Stewed Vegetables).

This is, essentially, Mexican Rice Pudding made with barley instead of rice. I've cut the sugar way back, and given how much barley expands, a lot less of it is needed than of rice. The barley is more assertive than the rice, too; it brings a distinct, chewy texture. Being the barley lover that I am, I enjoyed this very much. Mr. Ferdzy, it has to be admitted, was considerably less enthused.

Other than the fact that it must be stirred regularly while cooking to prevent the starches from settling and scorching, this is a very simple recipe to make. I would tend to cook the barley some time in the afternoon, then cook the pudding while kitchen clean-up is going on after dinner. That will keep me around while the stirring needs to happen.

4 to 6 servings
2 hours - 10 minutes prep time


Cook the Barley:
1/2 cup pearl barley
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups water

Put the above in a rice cooker, and cook. This can be done up to a day in advance; if so, keep the barley refrigerated until needed.

Make the Pudding:
4 cups dairy or non-dairy milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
the finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup raisins
the juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons rum OR 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Put the cooked barley in a 2 litre (qt) heavy-bottomed pot, and break it up. Mix in the milk, sugar, cinnamon, and lemon zest. Bring the mixture up to a simmer and simmer until thick, stirring regularly. This should take about an hour. Add the raisins about halfway through the cooking time.

Remove the pudding from the heat and mix in the lemon juice and rum or vanilla.

Serve the pudding chilled or at room temperature. Serve it plain, or with applesauce or whipped cream.




Last year at this time I made Doro Wat for An Ethiopian Feast.

This salad is all over the internet; it is in fact a traditional Russian salad although this particular iteration seems to come from a cook book called Please to the Table. Some cooks claim there are no prunes in a Russian beet salad; others confirm that that is how it was made in their family. We thought it was really delightful, and the prunes are what make it not just another beet salad, although they were surprisingly subtle.

Leftover kept quite well until the next day. I wouldn't keep it longer than that, and it wasn't any issue anyway.

4 to 8 servings
1 1/4 hours to cook the beets
30 minutes to assemble the salad


Cook the Beets:
500 grams (1 pound; 3 large) beets

Wash the beets and wrap them in foil, and bake them at 375°F for about 1 hour 15 minutes, until soft. If you prefer, they could be put in a pot with plenty of water to cover them, and boiled for 45 minutes to an hour, until tender. Let them cool. This can be done up to a day in advance.

Make the Dressing & Salad:
125 grams (1/4 pound; 16 to 18) prunes
1 tablespoon brandy OR rum
1 or 2 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons sour cream OR thick yogurt
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
100 grams (3 ounces; 1 cup) walnut pieces

Cut the prunes into 6 or 8 pieces each, and soak them in a little tepid water for 10 to 15 minutes unless they are already very soft and moist. Drain (if soaked) then sprinkle them with the brandy or rum and let them sit another 10 or 15 minutes to absorb it.

Meanwhile, peel and mince the garlic. Mix it in a mixing bowl with the lemon juice, sour cream or yogurt, and mayonnaise. Season with salt and pepper.

Peel and grate the or finely dice the beets. Mix them into the dressing, along with the prunes. Chop the walnuts to a similar size as the beets and prunes, and mix most of them in - reserve a few (unchopped) for garnish if you like.

Refrigerate the salad for at least an hour to several hours, and bring it back up to room temperature before serving.





 Last year at this time I made Ater Kik Wot (Dried Pea Stew)

Remember the Kibbeh? This dish is Turkish, not Lebanese, but it is related. At least, it's another paste made by mixing bulgur with other foods.The resulting little balls are eaten cold, like a sturdy salad, and I'd be very inclined to serve them on a bed of lettuce, possibly with the usual Turkish yogurt flavoured with garlic and a bit of salt. I did try sautéing some of the leftovers, and they were okay, but cold is better.

24 kofte - 4 to 6 servings
1 hour - 30 minutes prep time


Cook the Lentils & Bulgur:
1 cup red lentils
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup fine bulgur

Put the lentils, water, and salt into a rice cooker and turn on. It's a good idea to set a timer for about 20 minutes, as when the lentils are almost done you should add the bulgur and mix it in. If it turns off, don't worry; just mix in the bulgur as soon as you hear the "click". Place the covered container on a heat-proof surface and let cool enough to handle.

Make the Kofte:
1 medium onion
2 tablespoons olive OR sunflower oil
1 teaspoon cumin seed, ground
2 tablespoons tomato paste (if you have Turkish pepper paste, use for half)
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper (to taste)
1 teaspoon rubbed savory
1 teaspoon rubbed mint
1/2 cup finely minced fresh parsley OR green onion
    (can also use cilantro, dill, or mint; in smaller quantities to taste)
the juice of 1 medium lemon
lettuce to serve

Peel and finely chop the onion. Heat the oi in a small skillet and cook the onions gently until softened and translucent. Add the ground cumin seed, tomato and pepper pastes, savory, and mint, and mix in well for a minute . Turn the onion into a mixing bowl and let cool for a minute. Add the lentils and bulgur.

Wash, dry, and finely mince the parsley and green onion and/or other herbs. Mix them in with the lemon juice. Take handfuls of the mixture and form into egg-shaped balls. Serve them on a bed of lettuce.





Last year at this time I made Yedifin Miser Alicha Wot (Stewed Lentils).

I made it again and fixed the errors - Spiced Apple Baked Oatmeal Pudding. Sorry for the confusion!

This interesting little dish is from the arid state of Rajasthan, and so relies mostly on low-water input foods; chick peas and yogurt. I found my chick pea flour dumplings a little stodgy and I suspect it takes some practice to get them just so; perhaps it's best to think of them as pastry and try not to work them too much. They were a tasty and surprising filling contribution to our Indian style feast nevertheless.

Another addition to the feast that was surprisingly appropriate and good was some Branstonesque Pickle.

2 to 4 servings
30 minutes to form and poach the dumplings
20 to 25 minutes to cook them in the sauce


Make the Dumplings:
1/2 teaspoon cumin seed
1 teaspoon coriander seed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne chile
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon mild vegetable oil
1 cup chick pea flour
about 1/4 cup water

Grind the cumin and coriander with teh salt, then put them in a small mixing bowl with the remaining spices. Mix in the vegetable oil. Mix in the chick pea flour until well combined and no oily lumps are visible.

Put a pot of water on to boil.

Mix half the water into the spiced chick pea flour, then keep adding more until you have a stiff but pliable dough. It probably will take most if not all of the 1/4 cup.

Roll it out into 3 or 4 sausage shapes of even and equal thickness. When the water boils, add them and boil until they are firm and floating; 10 to 12 minutes. Lift them out to a plate or cutting board to cool. Keep 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

When cool enough to handle, cut the "sausages" into 12 to 16 even pieces. This can be done in advance. 

Mix the Spices for the Sauce:
1 teaspoon mustard seed
1 teaspoon cumin seed
1 teaspoon coriander seed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoon chick pea flour

Grind the mustard seed, cumin, and coriander with the salt, then mix in the turmeric and chick pea flour.

Cook the Dumpling in the Sauce:
2 tablespoons mild vegetable oil
1 cup cooking water from boiling the dumplings
1/3 cup thick yogurt
a little minced cilantro to garnish, if possible

About 20 minutes before serving time, heat the oil in a heavy bottomed shallow pot or skillet. Fry the dumplings until lightly browned on multiple sides, turning them as needed. Add the seasonings and continue cooking for 2 or 3 minutes, until the spices are fragrant and browning a little.

Add the cooking water and mix it in well. Reduce the heat and let the mixture simmer for another 8 to 10 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Mix in the yogurt and let the mixture reheat through, then serve at once. Don't let it simmer once the yogurt has been added, or it will likely curdle.





Last year at this time I made Ployes, instead of Injera.

I know I alluded to this in my last post on the state of the world, but with nothing to do but sit home and read the internet and think, I've been reading the internet and thinking.

Guys, vegetables are going to be 1) in short supply this summer and 2) bloody expensive when you can get them, as an inevitable consequence of 1). This is going to apply to vegetables both domestic and imported. I think Canada's production of grains, legumes, and meat is both large enough and mechanized enough that while, like just about every industry they will take a hit, they should continue to function reasonably well.

Our local vegetable and fruit farms rely heavily - heavily - on foreign seasonal agricultural workers. Right now, they are not coming in. This is the time of year they arrive, with the blackbirds and the vultures. (Spring! I love it!) I think the government will find some way to get them in, but maybe they won't. They are going to have to assess and balance risks. We're off to a rocky start already; the best-case scenario is that they arrive somewhat late. Obviously, some crops will handle this better than others. The local apple industry, for instance, has a lot of work to be done right about, oh, now.

Imported produce is unlikely to replace local produce. Covid-19 is going to hit poor people particularly hard, and agricultural workers in the US and Mexico, where most of our imported produce comes from, are going to take it in the neck. I don't see how they won't: next to no healthcare access, living and working in crowded conditions, notoriously exposed to unsafe working conditions including pesticide and herbicide exposure which are bad for the lungs in particular along with the rest of the body in general.

Moreover, even if we are getting produce from other countries, the ethical concerns about them are going to be more severe than ever. Countries are going to decide to export produce for vitally-needed cash and leave their own populations short of food. Many do that already; it will only get much, much worse.

I honestly believe that just about everyone should consider growing a few things this year. Even if you live in an apartment and have only a balcony or windowsills. A supply of sprouts and micro-greens, while not supplying much in the way of calories, will really help to fill some gaps and keep meals interesting. Very perishable leafy things are probably going to be the worst hit, so there's that too. NOW is the time to be ordering seeds, pots, soil, etc, and getting set up. Fortunately, much of it can be ordered on-line for shipping. (Well not the pots and soil.)

There is, of course, a learning curve involved in doing anything new, and growing things is no exception. Don't invest large amounts of time and money into this until you both know what you are doing and want to do it. 

I also believe this is going to drag on, and on, and on. This is probably a good year to buy produce when it is a available in season, and can, dry, or freeze it. Again, though, be realistic about your situation.

I've given Covid-19 its own label, as I suspect this is going to be a preoccupation of life for the next several years. I'd also really like to hear other people's thoughts and suggestions.

We eat a lot of frozen vegetables around here in the winter; beans, peas, spinach, and peppers mostly. I don't write about them much. Somehow, it feels like cheating. The reality, though, is frozen vegetables have their place in the winter. No fuss, no waste, and often quite good in winter cooking.

This easy little bean dish was really nice, and could be served, as here, as part of an Indian-style ensemble, or as a veg in the traditional meat and two veg.

Just about every actual Indian green bean dish I saw called for coconut milk. I'm sure it's very nice with them, but since it isn't local and doesn't always agree with me, I went with stock. No reason you have to, though.

4 servings
20 minutes prep time

  
Mix the Spices:
1/2 teaspoon cumin seed
2 teaspoons whole mustard seed
1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seed
1/4 teaspoon fennel seed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon chick pea flour

Don't grind the seeds; I bruised them a little then just mixed everything in a small bowl.

Cook the Beans:
6 medium shallots
1 tablespoon mild vegetable oil
2 cups thawed frozen green beans in short pieces
1 tablespoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger
1/2 cup chicken stock OR coconut milk
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Peel the shallots and cut them into slivers.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat, and add the shallots. Cook until softened and reduced slightly in volume, but don't let them brown much. Stir regularly. When they are well on the way, mix in the dry spices and cook, stirring often, until they brown a little and some of the mustard seeds pop.

Meanwhile, chop the beans and peel and grate the ginger. Add the ginger to the shallots and mix it in well, then follow with the beans. Add the stock or coconut milk. Reduce the heat and simmer for a few minutes until the beans are hot through and the sauce is slightly thickened. Stir regularly. Serve at once.




Last year at this time I made Berbere Spice Blend.

They're back!

So.

We were away for 2 weeks in Cuba recently, just getting back very late on Saturday evening. We spent our time mostly in blissful ignorance of developments outside of our sunny little bubble. Sometime around Thursday, though, we checked in, and spent most of the remaining evenings burning up our WiFi allowance and watching the shit hit the fan.

Saturday night was probably the last comfortable time to get home. Our pre-arranged taxi-driver picked us up without qualms. Don't know what she would think now. At any rate, we are now in isolation for the next, oh, 13 days. Along with pretty much everyone else, it seems.

There is a little coronavirus in Cuba, brought in with Italian tourists. I wonder a little uneasily to which resorts they dispersed, but frankly I am more worried about the hours passed at Pearson airport.

We were going to go to Britain in April, but first the person who was at least part of the reason for going (Dad's partner) died, and then Hurricane Coronavirus hit. I spent much of yesterday cancelling hotels. 

It looks like this will be a good spring to put particular emphasis on producing your own food, so I'm likely to start ramping up the gardening posts, as soon as something happens. I can't help but think that supply chains are going to take a hit. Not too late to order some seeds! I don't put it on the list but if you are in an apartment or otherwise can't or won't grow vegetables, you can always do sprouting and microgreens, and Mumm's is probably the best place to get the seeds.

Otherwise, is there anything that people would like to see me working on? We're going to be planting peas with in a week, I hope, as we usually do in early spring, and some barley, which will be a new crop for us.

Stay home and stay safe, everyone.

Huh, more tofu. I seem to be on a tofu binge. I'm also a bit on a Wellington binge, which simply means I'm wrapping things up in pre-made puff pastry and baking them. I had imagined making this with paneer, but of course there's no paneer in this town, so I shrugged and picked up the tofu. It's probably a better choice for me anyway.

I made an Indian-inspired dinner and served this (and a couple more recipes coming up) and I have to admit that I really should have just served the filling as a dish by itself. There is no reason why that would not be a perfectly reasonable, lower work, and lower price option. Not that this wasn't lovely, with the contrast of the spicy, creamy filling and the crisp pastry, but it didn't really play well with the other dishes. It probably makes a lot more sense to serve this with a nice supportive green salad that would let the Wellington be the star of the show.

4 to 8 servings
40 minutes prep time for the filling
45 minutes to bake
allow a total of 2 hours with cooling times included


Fill Your Mis-en-place Bowls:
4 - 6 pods green cardamom
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1 tablespoon finely grated or minced fresh ginger
3 - 4 cloves of garlic, finely grated or minced
3 tablespoon almond OR cashew butter
1 - 3 tablespoons chile-garlic sauce

Crush the cardamom pods lightly and remove and discard the papery green hulls. Grind the seeds with the caraway and salt, then put them in a very small bowl with the remaining dry spices; give them a little stir.

Peel and grate or mince the ginger and garlic, and put them in another very small bowl. Add the nut butter and chile-garlic sauce.

Cook the Chile-Garlic Tofu or Paneer:
2 medium onions
350 grams (12 ounces) very firm tofu OR paneer
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups tomato sauce

Cut the top from the onions and peel them. Leave the stem end on and use it as a handle. Grate the onions on a fine grater down to the stem ends, which should then be discarded. Cut the tofu or paneer into cubes.

Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tofu or paneer, and cook until lightly browned, turning to cook on all sides. The tofu won't brown all that much, but see what you can do.

Add the bowl of dry spices, and mix in well. Let cook for another minute or two, until the spices are fragrant. Add the onions and mix in well. Cook for 4 or 5 minutes until the onions smell fairly cooked. Add the bowl of wet seasoning and mix in well. Let cook for another minute or two, mixing carefully throughout. Add the tomato sauce and mix in well.

Let the mixture simmer for a further 5 or 6 minutes until thick enough to hold its shape. Stir regularly.

To Make the Wellington:
450 grams (1 pound) frozen puff pastry, thawed

Let the filling cool for 15 or 20 minutes before starting. The puff pastry is likely to require 2 hours to thaw, so I do hope you have done it already.

Put a sheet of parchment paper onto a large baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Unroll the puff pastry and lay it out over the prepared baking tray; the longer sides of the rectangle of pastry running along the longer sides of the baking tray. Pile the filling onto it in a neatish rectangle in the middle, allowing enough room around every side to fold them up and pinch sealed. Once that is done, cut some holes for the steam to escape.

Bake for 45 minutes at 375°F until nicely browned. Let cool on a rack for 15 minutes at least before cutting and serving.




Last year at this time I made Nacho Macaroni & Cheese. 

I've been reading a bit about the use of what is now being called aquafaba, which is a fancy way of saying bean cooking water, with the beans in question being chick peas. It contains protein structures that behave quite a bit like egg white and can be used to make vegan meringues, etc.

Since it is a bit egg-like, I thought about using it to make scrambled "eggs", and I came up with a prototype recipe. Then I googled it and discovered that yes, the actual vegans have been there ahead of me and mine was very similar to what other people have been doing. The one big difference is that I opted for soft tofu, rather than firm, which seems to be the choice of vegan cooks. Scrambled eggs should be soft and moist, though, in my opinion.

The black salt is supposed to add a sulphury egg-like flavour but I have to say it's pretty subtle. I think by the time you added enough to be really convincing the dish would be too salty. I was pretty discreet about it, and you could put in a bit more than I did. I tend to think of the bean water from canned beans as being very salty, but bean canners seem to be using a lot less than they used to. Likewise too much turmeric will make the eggs an unconvincing marigold yellow, so just a pinch is required.

In the end, I'm not sure how realistic an imitation this is, but it's pretty tasty in any case. We usually eat eggs for breakfast, but I'll make this once in a while just to have a break from them (sorta). 

2 to 4 servings
30 minutes - 15 minutes prep time


1/2 cup chick pea flour
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1/4 teaspoon black salt (kala namak)
1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon dry OR 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh chopped chives
 OR other herbs to taste
300 grams (10 ounces) soft tofu
2/3 cup liquid from tinned chick peas (aquafaba)
2 tablespoons mild vegetable oil

Measure the chick pea flour, nutritional yeast, black salt, turmeric, pepper, and herbs into a mixing bowl. Add about 2/3 of the tofu, and beat it into the dry ingredients with an electric mixer, until smooth; about 1 minute. Beat in the chick pea liquid until smooth and light, but not fluffy; again, about 1 minute.

Let the mixture rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

When the mixture has 5 minutes more to rest, heat the oil in a medium-sized, non-stick skillet, with a lid. (I used stainless steel, and got good results, minus a quantity that stuck. Such is life). Mash the remaining tofu coarsely, and cook it in the skillet over medium-high heat (same temperature as for real eggs) for 3 or 4 minutes. Give it a stir.

Scrape in the "egg" batter, and spread it out evenly. Cover the pan and cook for 3 minutes. Give the "eggs" a good thorough stir, cover again, and cook for a further 3 minutes. Give them another stir. Leave the cover off and cook for a further 3 minutes.

Serve over hot buttered (or butter substituted) toast.





Last year at this time I made Burrito Casserole. 

There are about a gazillion variations on the theme of kibbeh out there, although frequently it is made with meat and could reasonably be described as the Lebanese version of meatloaf. The defining feature, however, is the use of soaked bulgur to create a mortar to hold together some other food into a paste, and so there are a number of vegetarian versions as well. This is not one of them, though! This is the meatloaf version.

Actually, the mixture may be served raw, or formed into dumplings and fried or grilled, but as ever I was looking for the simplest solution and baking it, rather like a Turkish tray-kebab, seemed like the way to go. As often seems to be the case with kibbeh, the "mortar" formed by the soaked bulgur and some of the ground meat goes around a filling of more ground meat. Each is spiced a little differently, which adds some interest to the usual meatloaf theme. As with most meatloafs, enough other ingredients are added so that a smaller amount of meat serves a greater number of people, without most of them realizing just how far it has been stretched.

Bulgur is lower on the glycemic index than most forms of wheat; perhaps because it has been parboiled. At any rate, I expect to be using it more often.

6 to 8 servings
4 hours to soak & drain bulgur
1 hour 30 minutes - 30 minutes prep time


Advance Preparation:
1 1/2 cups bulgur

Put the bulgur in a bowl with plenty of tepid water to cover. Soak for 1 or 2 hours. Put it in a strainer, and drain for 1 or 2 hours.

Make the Shell:
1 teaspoon cumin seed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sumac
1 teaspoon rubbed basil
1 teaspoon rubbed mint
1 medium onion
250 grams lean ground beef or lamb
1 large egg
2 tablespoons olive oil

Grind the cumin seed with the salt, then put them in a small bowl withe the sumac, basil, and mint. Peel and finely chop the onion.

Put the soaked, drained bulgur into a food processor, and process for 3 to 5 minutes, until chopped and somewhat doughy. Stop the food processor, and scrape down the sides. Sprinkle in the spices, add the chopped onion, the crumbled beef, the egg, and the olive oil. Process again until well amalgamated and fairly smooth.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Oil a 10" pie plate fairly heavily. Transfer half the prepared mixture into it, to cover the bottom evenly and come up the sides at least half an inch.

Make the Filling & Finish:
3 - 4 pods of green cardamom
4 allspice berries
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
freshly ground black pepper to taste
250 grams lean ground beef or lamb
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts OR other nuts
1 medium onion

Crush the cardamom and remove and discard the green hulls. Grind the remainder with the allspice and salt until fine. Mix with the cinnamon and pepper in a mixing bowl. Crumble in the beef. Add the pomegranate molasses and the nuts.

Peel and finely chop the onion. I actually do this at the same time as the first onion, and just set it aside until needed. Add it to the mixing bowl.

Mix the ingredients in the bowl until well blended, then crumble it evenly over the mixture in the pie-plate, leaving the edges clear.

Pat our the remaining shell mixture to cover the pie. It may be helpful to do this on a sheet of parchment paper and transfer it. At any rate, pinch it well sealed all around the edges and flatten it out. If you like, cut a diamond pattern into the top of the kibbeh. Brush it with a little more olive oil. Bake at 375°F for 1 hour. Serve warm or at room temperature.





Last year at this time I made Pasta Taco Style. 

I have now made these with both spelt and barley flour, and they both work well so feel free to use whichever you prefer. The spelt flour will certainly be easier to find. Our impression is that the spelt ones had a stronger and more robust flavour than the barley ones did, so that may be a factor in your decision as well. I found the texture of the dough when using barley flour improved with sitting for 10 minutes before being formed, so you should allow for that if you go that route. You can see one of the barley flour gnocchi sitting in the middle of the plate (paler and slightly grooved). It was a pretty subtle distinction.

This is a nice variation on the theme of gnocchi, but I found the flavour of the rutabaga less pronounced than I expected. You may or may not consider that a good thing. 

72 (6 dozen pieces); 4 to 8 servings
1 hour to boil and mash the rutabaga
20 minutes to make and cook the gnocchi


2 cups mashed cooked rutabaga
about 2 1/2 cups whole spelt OR barley flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
a few gratings of nutmeg
1 large egg
1/2 cup potato starch OR more flour as used

Peel the rutabaga and cut it into cubes. You will need a scant 4 cups of cubes to achieve 2 cups of mashed cooked rutabaga. Put the cubes into a pot and cover them generously with water. Bring them to a boil and boil them for 40 to 45 minutes, until tender. Drain them very well and mash thoroughly. Let them cool for a few minutes (or completely) before proceeding.

Put a large pot of salted water on to boil to cook the gnocchi - not as much salt as for cooking pasta, but a sprinkle. If you are using barley flour to make these, however, hold off until the dough has been mixed and has sat for 10 minutes.

Measure 2 cups of flour and add it to the mashed rutabaga (back in the pot, or in a mixing bowl). Add the salt and nutmeg, and mix well. Break in the egg, whisk it up, then mix it in thoroughly. At this point, add a little more flour, mixing well between each addition, until you have a sticky but cohesive dough. I added about another 1/2 cup in total to achieve this.

Divide the dough into 4 or 6 even parts, and roll each part into a long, even roll about 1" in diameter. Cut each roll into 16 or 12 even pieces, roll each piece into a flattish rectangle and put them on a plate on which the potato starch or remaining flour has been sprinkled. Shake to coat them, then shake off any excess starch or flour.

When the water boils and the gnocchi are made, add them to the pot. Boil until they all are floating high in the water; unless you have made them much larger than I did, that will be about 5 minutes at most. Skim them out or drain them, and dress them with the sauce of your choice. Serve at once.




Last year at this time I made Scottish Oatcakes. 

Soy sauce or miso and butter are an odd but very effective combination, and they do nice things for this simple cabbage dish. The miso is strong enough that I would serve this with a fairly plain cooked piece of chicken, fish, or other meat. The other vegetable that I served with this was roasted sweet potatoes and while the whole effect was a bit dull yellow, they combined well as far as the flavours went. Still, I'm thinking some frozen peas or beans as well next time, for a hit of green. 

4 servings
30 minutes - 10 minutes prep time


4 to 5 cups chopped Savoy or green cabbage
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon miso
2 to 3 tablespoons water

Wash, trim, and chop the cabbage into bite-sized pieces. Drain it well.

Heat the butter in a large skillet with a lid over medium heat, until melted and sizzling. Add the cabbage and mix it in to coat it in the butter. Cover the pan with the lid.

Mix the miso with the water until completely dissolved. Pour this over the cabbage, give it a stir, then cover the pan again. 

Cook very gently over medium to medium-low heat until the cabbage is tender and cooked to your liking, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.




Last year at this time I made Beet & Cucumber Salad. 

There are a lot of recipes out there for baked oatmeal, it seems, and I keep tripping over them on Pinterest. They vary widely, from the frugal and dietetic, to much richer versions I would consider too sweet even for dessert; and not just now, but back in the day when I was eating sweeter things.

Even with the fairly modest amount of sweetener I opted to put into this, I do regard it as a dessert and not as a breakfast dish, but you could. Certainly you could. You could increase the amount of sugar too, but I have to say I think anything more than twice as much as I used would be excessive.

This isn't usually described as a pudding, but I do think that's exactly what it is. It is solid and dry enough in spite of the butter and apples, that it needs some milk or cream poured over it when it is served. Custard seems a little over the top, somehow, and yet I can picture ice-cream doing very well here.

Note: Edited 04/03/2020 to fix errors in ingredient list and instructions. 

6 to 8 servings
1 hour - 20 minutes prep time - and do let it cool some


Mix the Dry Ingredients:
2 cups rolled oats (large flake or quick cook)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
about 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Measure out the oats; you can leave them in the measuring cup and just pile the salt and spices on top. Set aside until needed.

Pre-Cook the Apples & Finish:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 large cooking apples
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon molasses
1/2 to 2/3 cup milk
1 large egg
milk or cream to serve

Butter an 8" x 10" shallow baking (lasagne) pan or similar which holds 1 1/2 to 2 litres/quarts. 

Wash and peel the apples. Grate them and discard the core, putting the grated apple into a reasonably large (2 l/qt) pot. Add the butter, sugar, and molasses. Bring up to a simmer, stirring frequently, until everything is well mixed, the butter melted, and the apples bubbling and exuding juice; this won't take more than 5 minutes or so.

Remove from the stove. Mix in the dry ingredients, then mix in the milk or cream. Mix in the egg.  You should have a soft batter-like texture; add a splash more milk if it seems too firm. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth it out evenly.

Bake for 35 minutes, until firm and lightly browned. Let cool to warm or room temperature, and serve with milk or cream.




Last year at this time I made Braised Steak Goulash Style.

Pasticada is a traditional Croatian pot roast, served in a sauce of prunes and sweet wine. We don't have the Prošek wine which is customarily used, but a sweet alcoholic apple cider is local and worked very well, so far as I am concerned.

This does require advance planning, more than usual for roasts. The marinating time is fairly long, but besides that it is cooked, then sliced and served in the sauce. I think the ideal thing is actually to cook it the day ahead and then reheat it in the sauce; a complete cool and re-heat actually makes meat more tender. It certainly makes this an easy and impressive dish to serve to company - easy on the day, at least, and really, there is nothing complicated about this, it just needs time. I used the Instant Pot method and was quite happy with the results.  

6 to 8 servings
24 hours to marinate
2 to 2 1/2 hours to cook
30 to 40 minutes to finish and serve



Marinate the Roast:
4 to 6 cloves of garlic
1.5  to 2 kg (3 to 4 pound) beef short rib roast
1 to 1 1/2 cups red wine vinegar

Peel and quarter the garlic. Cut slits in the roast and insert the garlic pieces, keeping them evenly spaced.

Put the roast in a container in which it can marinate and pour the vinegar over it. Cover the dish and refrigerate for about 24 hours. Turn the roast over after 12 hours. 

Mix the Seasonings:
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
4 to 6 whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
2 to 3 bay leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Mix in a small dish; set aside until needed.

Cook the Roast:
3 medium onions
2 medium carrots
3 stalks of celery
1 or 2 parsley roots
3 tablespoons bacon fat or mild vegetable oil
2/3 cup tomato sauce (half this amount if using Instant Pot)
1 1/3 cups beef stock  (half this amount if using Instant Pot)

Peel and chop the onions. Peel and dice the carrots. Wash, trim, and chop the celery. Peel and chop the parsley roots.

Remove the roast from the marinade and drain it well. Pat it dry with paper towel. 

Heat 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat or oil in a large skillet (Instant Pot) or large heavy-bottomed soup pot (for stove-top cooking) over medium heat. Cook the onions, carrots, celery, and parsley roots until softened and very slightly browned, stirring regularly.

Stove-top cooking: Remove the vegetables and set them aside. Heat the remaining bacon fat or oil. Brown the roast on both sides, then return the vegetables to the pot along with the mixed seasonings, tomato sauce and beef stock. Simmer until the roast is tender, about 90 minutes. Turn it over at the 45 minute point. You can proceed once you have let the roast rest for 15 minutes, or allow the roast to cool and reheat it later - this will actually create a more tender roast.

Instant Pot cooking: Add the vegetables to the instant pot, with the mixed seasonings. Put in the rack. Heat the remaining bacon fat or oil in the skillet. Brown the roast on both sides, then put it into the Instant Pot, on the rack. Add the tomato sauce and beef stock. Seal the pot, and cook on high pressure for 40 minutes. Allow the steam to release naturally - allow 30 minutes. You can proceed once you have let the roast rest for 15 minutes, or allow the roast to cool and reheat it later - this will actually create a more tender roast.

Finish & Serve:
1/2 cup (alcoholic) apple cider
1/4 cup sherry or port
12 to 16 pitted prunes, cut in half

Remove the roast from the sauce and slice it. (If you cooled the roast, do this while it is cool.) Purée the vegetables in their gravy, after removing the bay leaves, and the cloves and peppercorns if you can get them out.

Return the sliced roast and the sauce to the pot (or a pot, at any rate) and reheat gently. While it heats, add the cider, sherry or port, and halved prunes. Simmer gently for about 10 minutes. Serve with gnocchi or similar dumplings, pasta, rice, or potatoes.




Last year at this time I made Honey-Mustard Roast Lamb.